Fast food restaurant LEON has permanently closed the doors of its three Irish branches due to difficulties in the post pandemic market.
The British owned chain specialises in healthy fast food options, including many vegetarian and vegan dishes, and opened its first Irish store in Temple Bar three years ago. The chain later expanded to Dundrum Town Centre and Liffey Valley.
The restaurant owners expressed regret at the closure of their Irish locations, saying the decision was made as a result of industry wide difficulties.
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“We have loved our time in Ireland and will be forever grateful for the welcome you gave us. The continuing challenges post-pandemic have taken their toll, as it has on everybody,” the company wrote in a statement on their website.
“Challenging trading conditions have meant a slow road to return, which has become too much for our business and for our teams. Our last trading day was Monday 6th June,” the post continued.
LEON restaurants in the UK will remain unaffected by the recent Irish closures. LEON owners initially intended to open over 20 locations in Ireland by 2023. Over 600 jobs would reportedly have been created if these plans had come to fruition.
The restaurant offers customers a largely Mediterranean-influenced menu and opened its first premises in London in 2004. It later created the Leon Foundation, a non-profit that encourages healthy eating across wider society.
The business owners explained they would continue to focus on their existing premises in the UK and the Netherlands but hope to return to Ireland in the future. The franchise also ceased operating in both Norway and the United States last year as a result of the pandemic.
Its flagship Temple Bar outlet was located on 17 Crown Alley Street, a building previously occupied by second hand vintage clothing store Eager Beaver.
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